Let me preface by saying that I'm not criticizing Bill Karins for his choice of words. Thank, uh, goodness, we live in a country where we're free to believe in any God or no God at all.

But I do see Karins' construction as a sign of the cultural times. The Morning Joe meteorologist today aired dramatic footage of the weatherman at the NBC affiliate in Wichita, Kansas ordering his colleagues to take shelter because a tornado was headed right at the station. Said Karins: "By the grace of whatever, God or whatever else, it lifted the second it got right to the TV station." You'll hear Karins hesitate and change course when he realizes he's put himself on a path to say "by the grace of God." View the video after the jump.

It's hard to imagine that a generation or so ago someone in Karins' position would have thought twice, as he obviously did, about invoking the grace of God. Times are a changin'.

BILL KARINS: I have to bring you this moment. The one tornado we are showing you, this one right here, was heading for downtown Wichita, Kansas, and it was heading directly for our NBC station KSN.

Cut to clip from Wichita station with weatherman ordering colleagues to take shelter.

KARINS: They literally had to evacuate the studio because that tornado was heading directly for their station; they could see it outside their window. By the grace of whatever—God or whatever else—it lifted the second it got right to the tv station.